Carl Cox's Join Our Revolution in Ibiza

Carl Cox's Join Our Revolution in IbizaI'll be blunt and admit that Carl Cox's guests can both dismay and annoy me in equal measure. Not so here. Merely twelve months ago, Cox's Join Our Revolution party was in dire need of change—ironic perhaps considering the night's name. Attendance was down in 2008, and island gossip revolved around his supposed imminent upping of sticks to Amnesia. This season however, things just seem different.

In the eyes of many White Isle regulars, Cox is rightfully viewed as something of a one man techno institution. With this in mind, it's particularly pleasing to see him back focusing on the music he knows best. Gone, for the most part, are the more commercial additions, replaced in 2010 with a multitude of high calibre, underground-inclined DJs. New residents Nic Fanciulli and Yousef, for example, signal a statement of techno intent. With intense competition on the island right now, it seems Cox and his crew have rightfully decided to prioritise the core ingredient that made the night so popular in the first place: the music.

This particular Tuesday provided an example what the ringleader can achieve when he best manipulates his arsenal of contacts. With Josh Wink and Yousef in one room and Cox flanked by Green Velvet in the other, techno fans seemed in for a real treat. And so the night proved. Velvet was first up in the discoteca, captivating his audience throughout with a blisteringly heavy set, permeated throughout with bursts of catchy, old school sounding synths. Gesticulating wildly behind the decks, the Chicago native was his usual smiling madcap self, toying with the receptive Space crowd. Every drop was greeted with fervent appreciation, and, as such, it was disappointing Mr. Jones didn't continue past the 3 AM mark. That said, he did a more than adequate job of "warming up" for Cox, with the latter saying as much over the microphone in his typically jovial manner.

Reasoning that we'd still plenty of time left to catch Cox this summer, we then opted for the terrace where Ovum boss Josh Wink was holding court in his usual assured manner. Blasting out a barrage of 808-infused tracks, Wink's energetic set hit all the right buttons, with his manic set of bleeps, loops and breakdowns prompting the perfect backdrop for those Ibizan ice cannon moments. As expected, Wink provided the standout set of the night before we jostled back to the discoteca to catch the last half hour of Mr. Cox, whose performance seemed to lose little of the momentum we heard at its infancy.

With new screens and lighting now firmly in place, as well as an undoubtedly improved summer line-up, Join Our Revolution is certainly on the up. As a side note, the terrace's ridiculously oversized VIP area has now been almost entirely removed. In an island that's become as commercial as Disneyland in recent years, it's refreshing to see Space provide well, more space, for the average clubber again. Not quite a revolution just yet, but certainly a welcome revamp.

3 comments

Didn't make it to this night in 09 but really glad I did on July 13th this year. Another great night at space! Forgotten how much I enjoy Carl Cox after seeing him at matter for their 1st birhtday in Sept 09. Look forward to his show in Brixton on Oct 2nd